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Prices are exploding, and ashtrays have become political. Each cigarette now feels like a confession, a protest, and a financial wound. Smokers are cornered, judged in silence and punished at the counter. The State swears it\u2019s saving lives, but streets whisper of hypocrisy, smuggling, and despair. As \u20ac20 per pack creeps closer, France is spl\u2026 Continues\u2026<\/p>\n
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CONTINUE READING\u2192<\/p>\n
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In France, the cigarette has turned into a mirror of the country\u2019s fractures. For the well-off ex-smoker, higher taxes are a moral victory, proof that society is finally choosing health over habit. For the cashier who lights up after a night shift, it feels like yet another elite decree: a \u201cchoice\u201d made impossible by addiction, stress, and the absence of real support. The same stick of tobacco no longer means the same thing from one pocket to another.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, borders blur the message. In cars returning from Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, bags rattle with cheap cartons that mock the tricolor tax stamp. Each cross-border trip erodes both revenue and trust. France is undeniably reducing smoking, but at the price of resentment, guilt, and a black market that thrives in the shadows. In the end, the real question is no longer \u201cwho pays,\u201d but who is allowed to breathe without being condemned.<\/p>\n
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